Pomona man gets 5 years in prison for smuggling cocaine in surfboard

A Pomona man arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in February was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison for trying to smuggle nearly seven pounds of cocaine in a hollowed-out surfboard, authorities said.

Jesse Edgardo Herrera, 31, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. He was arrested Feb. 26 when federal agents noticed irregularities with the surfboard he had checked with his baggage on an outbound Qantas Airlines flight to Sydney, Australia, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detected a strong smell of lacquer or spray paint when they examined the surfboard. They X-rayed it and used a saw to cut off one end, exposing four plastic packages containing cocaine.

Authorities estimated the cocaine would have sold for more than $750,000 on the street in Australia.

Herrera pleaded guilty in May to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.